The US Air Force announced that a U-2 Dragon Lady crashed yesterday after its crew of two ejected. One pilot did not survive:

The aircraft was assigned to 1st Reconnaissance Squadron at Beale Air Force Base, and was on a training mission. Two pilots were onboard and ejected the aircraft. One pilot is confirmed deceased, while the other sustained injuries.

The U-2 is technically a single-place airplane. There were 5 aircraft Read more

Last week The Tonight Show host Jimmy Fallon explained his discovery of the Martin-Baker tie club — the “elite” group of people who have the unique honor of taking the one-way trip on a Martin-Baker ejection seat and surviving.

The US Navy reported two F/A-18Cs crashed while flying from the USS Carl Vinson in the Pacific.

Two F/A-18 Hornets from Carrier Air Wing 17 embarked on the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) crashed at 5:40 p.m. local time, today, while operating at sea in the western Pacific Ocean.

The F/A-18C is the single-seat version of the legacy Hornet. One pilot was “rapidly located” while a search was conducted for the second. The search was eventually suspended and the pilot, 26-year old Lt. Nathan Poloski, was declared presumed dead. The aircraft are believed to have collided.

Sheppard officials said Tuesday the bird struck the jet’s canopy, shattering it and sending fragments into an engine that then failed.

The incident was compounded by the pilots’ attempts to execute a turn that increased drag. The jet lost airspeed, then stalled.

The crew safely ejected.

The Air Force recently began researching the possibility of updating the canopies on the 50+ year old T-38 fleet. Their T-X replacement trainers have reportedly been held up by government budget issues.

Senators Mark Udall (D-Co) and Roy Blunt (R-Mo) have proposed an amendment to the yet-to-be-approved 2014 National Defense Authorization Act that would require the Air Force to review safety for its ejection seats:

Under the amendment, the Air Force also must analyze how ejection seats protect the head, neck and spinal cord during ejection; analyze any initiatives currently looking at making the ejection process safer; and update Congress on the status of any testing or qualifications on upgraded ejection seats.